Acting is Your Business

Wendy S. Kurtzman is an adjunct professor at Chapman University and Pace University, USA, guest lecturer at UCLA and NYU, and an Emmy-nominated casting director with more than 35 years of experience in television and film. Her extensive credits include Independence Day, Auto Focus, Stigmata, The Replacement Killers, and many others. www.wendykurtzman.com.

Aspiring actors will benefit tremendously from the real-world practical advice provided by Wendy Kurtzman. As a well-respected casting director with a big picture understanding of both the actor’s creative process and the nuts and bolts of the entertainment industry, she offers a holistic approach to an acting career—supporting creative passion with day-to-day achievable goals. Wendy connects the dots between artistic dreams and pragmatic results with a plan that will no doubt empower actors and hopefully guide them to fulfilment and success.

• List of Illustrations ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest HenleyINTRODUCTIONPART ONE: THE BOARDROOMChapter 1. Meet the BoardroomChapter 2. The CEOChapter 3. The CFOChapter 4. Head of Human ResourcesChapter 5. Head of Marketing/BrandingChapter 6. Head of Business Development (Biz Dev)Chapter 7. Head of RepresentationChapter 8. Head of Creative DevelopmentChapter 9. Head of OutreachChapter 10. Putting it All Together PART TWO: INDUSTRY INSIGHTSChapter 11. Casting FAQChapter 12. Interviews: Let’s Get Down to BusinessCasting Professionals Michael Sanford CSA, CCDA Sanford Casting, A Closer Look at Commercial CastingCarol Dudley, CDG (Casting Director Guild of Great Britain and Ireland) Casting Director, Cannon, Dudley & Associates “The British Invasion” and What the Brits Know that we Don’t…Lisa Zambetti, Casting Director: The World of Motion Capture CastingCandido Cornejo Jr. Casting Director: Diversity in Casting and Learning the Language of a Casting DirectorCassandra Han, Casting Director, Casting Perspective from Central EuropeNikki Barrett, Casting Director, Barrrett Casting Australia, Meet Nikki Barrett!Marci Liroff, Casting Director/Intimacy Coordinator, An Intimate Conversation About Intimacy on SetWriter/ProducerJonathan Prince, Writer/Producer/President PhilmCo Media, Importance of Creating Original MaterialMindset and Study of CraftBen Whitehair, Actor, Entrepreneur, Coach, Benwhitehair.com. I’m An Actor, Now What?Jordan Ancel, Writer, Director, Producer thrivingactor.com, Leveling Up Your CareerHoward Fine, Acting Coach, Howard Fine Acting Studio, Criteria for the Professional ActorFurther ReadingAcknowledgementsIndex